Opinion

Korch v. State Board of Physical Therapy

  • 900 A.2d 941
  • 2006 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 331
Court
Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
Filed
Mar 27, 2006
Status
Published
Author
McGinley
On the bench
Friedman, Kelley, McGinley
Cited by
0 cases
Authority
More cited than 19.6%

The opinion

*948 CONCURRING OPINION BY

Judge McGINLEY.

I concur in the majority’s conclusion that the removal of patient files from an employer’s premises does constitute “unprofessional conduct” within the interpretation of Section 11(a)(6) of the Act, 63 P.S. 1311(a)(6). However, I would further distinguish Kepler v. State Board of Physical Therapy, 720 A.2d 496 (Pa.Cmwlth.1998).

As the majority correctly notes, Kepler is distinguishable because Susan E. Kepler was an “independent contractor” and David A. Korch was an “employee.” However, the critical distinction is that Korch removed patient files from the employer’s premises. His actions were directly related to the level of care provided to the hospital’s patients, not to any administrative aspect of physical therapy such as billing, as in Kepler . Korch’s conduct departed from “the minimally accepted standards prevailing in the physical therapy profession to the extent that it relates to the level of care provided to a patient.” Kepler, 720 A.2d at 499 .

Accordingly, I concur in the majority’s conclusion that Korch’s conduct rose to the level of “unprofessional conduct.”

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

A word about cookies

We need a few to keep you signed in and the library working. The rest help us see which pages people use and where they get stuck. They stay off unless you say yes.